The Rings of Dusk

by Scribblestick

The Princess of Dreams

Princess Luna frowned as she examined her sister's star pupil, both with her eyes and with her magic. "How long has she been in this condition?"

"Since yesterday," Spike answered, tapping his shaking claws together. "D-Do you know what's wrong? The doctor who came said she was stable, but couldn't tell us anything else."

The aura around Luna's horn faded as she closed her eyes. She stifled the urge to yawn. "I do not," she said. When she saw Spike's shoulders slump, she added, "Not yet. But our trail mustn't end here." She adjusted the blanket that covered Twilight's twitching body. "Take me to the library."

The mid-afternoon sun streamed through the castle's windows. Outside, the hustle and bustle of Ponyville continued as though nothing were wrong. Those sounds faded as the two delved deeper into the castle. Soon, only Luna's hoofbeats and Spike's footfalls echoed through the empty crystal halls. The sound only heightened the ominous mood that had descended on the castle. Officially, Princess Twilight Sparkle was exhausted from her journey and merely required time to rest. Unofficially, Luna knew that excuse would only hold up for a few days. That was her deadline to find the true answer to this conundrum.

Spike gave her a brief summary of Twilight's research, at least as far as he understood it. His comprehension was admirable, for a young research assistant. Luna perused the notes, following his guidance. Though she understood more of the technicalities of Twilight's scribblings, she couldn't be sure where it all led.

"Your Majesty," Spike said after a few minutes, then stopped himself.

Luna turned to face him as several unbound scrolls circled around her. "What is it?"

Spike tapped his claws together and looked at the floor. "I... I was just wondering.... Why did Princess Celestia want Twilight to look into all of this?"

Luna frowned as she surveyed the room. "I'm not entirely sure," she answered, deciding it best to be honest. "My sister and I may rule together, but that does not mean we always know what the other is up to." She studied Twilight's intricate web of pictures and notes strung around the walls. "You said she went to the old castle in Everfree, correct?"

Spike nodded. "That's what she told me."

"And you found her three days later in a cave somewhere in the forest," Luna continued as she walked around the room, trying to make sense of Twilight's connections. "We can conclude, therefore, that it is unlikely she ever left the forest. Whatever happened to her, it happened there."

Spike nodded. "Makes sense to me."

Luna sighed as she completed her round of the room. Though Twilight's research skills had served her and Equestria well, her methods were unfortunately all but impossible to decipher. "And these rings she found?"

Spike led her to a secluded part of the castle, to a small, hidden chamber. Inside, on a simple table, lay the two gold rings and the picture he had found among Twilight's notes. "Careful," he said as Luna entered the room. "I think these might be part of the problem."

Luna noted his warning and picked up the drawing. Though she couldn't say why, it send a shiver down her spine. Even without casting a single spell, she could sense powerful magic emanating from those rings. She stepped back a little more quickly than she intended.

Spike frowned. "Is everything all right?"

Luna nodded, in spite of herself. "I believe our best course of action is to ask Twilight Sparkle herself what happened." She turned and left the room. She heard Spike close and lock the door before following. "Wake me just before sunset. I'll be best able to reach her then."

---

Luna placed the last of her herbs in Twilight's chamber. Darkness had settled on Equestria. She could just make out the faint chirp of crickets outside, and the hoot of an owl nestled in some tree. The sounds brought a measure of comfort to the surreal scene before her. Twilight still lay on her bed, unmoved from earlier that day. Occasionally, a wild spasm shot through her limbs, accompanied by a sharp breath. Spike stood nearby, hands held close to his mouth. The poor dragon's nerves looked on the brink of collapse. Luna placed a steadying hoof on his shoulder.

"Worry not, my friend. I will reach her in her dreams, whatever they may be," she said. This was, after all, the primary reason she, and not Celestia, had come. "I am confident our friend will awaken before the night is over."

Spike nodded, though his shoulders remained tight with tension. "I'll make sure to put up fresh lavender every hour," he said, repeating the directions Luna had given him. Luna smiled. Even under stress, his memory was sharp.

Luna turned her attention to the unconscious pony before her. She took a deep breath to steady her own nerves. Truth be told, she wasn't sure what she would find in Twilight's subconscious mind. She gathered her magic and with a spell, cast her mind in to the realm of dreams.

---

Luna's astral body hung in blackness. For a moment, she wondered if she had miscast the spell. Then, she realized the truth. The spell had worked perfectly. She had entered Twilight's mind and found only darkness.

This was troubling for a number of reasons, not the least of which was that Luna had no idea how to proceed. She was used to looking for dreamers in their imaginary worlds, but most dreams gave her some structure upon which to work. This inky void gave her nothing.

So, logically, she decided to give herself some light.

The moment her horn lit with magic, she felt a kind of pulse ripple through the mindscape. In a flash, a hundred red eyes opened around her, staring with unknown intent. She readied a protective ward, but did not cast it, waiting to see what those eyes would do. They began to shift in strange, untraceable paths. She sensed their bodies moving in the blackness, but could not discern where one began and another ended. They didn't move any closer, which she took to be a good sign for the moment. She flapped her wings, intending to approach the strange visions, but despite her effort, the eyes appeared no closer than before.

So they stay the same distance away, no matter what I do, she thought. Or, I am unable to move. The thought was disconcerting, but neither possibility was a new experience for her in the dream world. She cleared her throat and took a deep breath. "Twilight Sparkle, where are you?"

The eyes descended so quickly, she barely had enough time to erect her prepared ward. The creatures struck her shield and bounced away, returning to their safe distance. When her thudding heart subsided, Luna heard a dull whisper emanating from all around her. Twilight, it hissed. Twilight...

Bracing herself, she addressed the beings around her. "Where is Twilight Sparkle?"

The eyes lashed out again. She could barely make out each form as it threw itself at her ward, black shapes against a black void. She repeated her question, louder. "Where is Twilight Sparkle?" As the eyes moved again, she struck back, turning her ward into a stunning burst. The eyes fell back and faded for a moment. Then, pair by pair, they blinked back into her view.

Twilight, the voices hissed louder. Luna prepared another spell. Her voice came out as a shout.

"You will take me to Twilight Sparkle!"

To her surprise, the eyes did not strike again. They swirled faster around her, until the red of their eyes were streaks in her view. She squinted, but did not let down her guard as the red glow formed into shapes. She saw flashes of a cave, and dark creatures descending. The vision twisted, shifted, nearly making her stomach lurch. In a moment, her consciousness crossed a vast plain and plunged into a thick jungle, branches and vines whipping by faster than she could flinch.

Then, the vision froze. Though she hadn't moved, the suddenness of it nearly gave her whiplash, and she found herself struggling to catch her breath. She stood at the edge of the sea, looking at a rocky outcropping that jutted out against the waves. A pony stood there, facing away, horn glowing with light. As Luna watched, the pony's wings flared. "Twilight?" she asked tentatively.

In an instant, the pony turned and lunged, stopping inches from Luna's face. She flinched, stepping back. The form matched Twilight, her body was a shadowed lavender, but her features were shrouded in darkness. Her eyes... at first, Luna's mind couldn't process them. They weren't just empty. It was as if they were windows into the crimson sky itself. In the distance, across the glittering sea, the sun and moon rose in the sky, coming to rest in the center of this strange mare's eyes, just where her pupils would have been.

Luna cleared her throat and spoke again. "Twilight?"

Twilight... Twilight... The whispers grew louder until they drowned out the sound of the sea. With each whisper, the mare's form grew and distorted, her wings stretching from horizon to horizon, her horn stabbing the stars themselves. Unfathomable magic pulsed from this being. It took all of Luna's strength to maintain the wards that protected her. The ocean blasted away in great waves. The trees behind her were ripped from their roots and hurled into the distance. Luna herself stumbled back with each blast until all her shields were stripped away, and she stood defenseless against the terrible being that blotted out the heavens.

Dusk, the whispers said. The creature's wings flared, sending hurricanes to batter the shores. Luna could only cower, a speck in the wind compared to this beast. It could end her in an instant; of this she was absolutely certain.

All the while, the whispers turned to screams. Dusk... Dusk.... DUSK!

The behemoth turned its full attention on her. The sun and moon gazed down with their full fury. Luna felt as though she would wither away. Desperately, she focused her power on the moon, the celestial body upon which she had always relied. With a cry, she cast the spell she knew so well. A part of her knew it was folly, that all her might and training meant nothing. And yet, somehow, the moon heeded her call. It began to drift away, beyond her sight, behind the edge of the red-stained world. The shouting whispers grew indistinct, their chants turning to echoing screams. The being shuddered, shrank, fell into the jet-black sea. A wave of darkness raced toward her, engulfed the shore, and crashed around her, sending her spinning into the void. The beast appeared so small now, so helpless as two rings wrapped themselves around her body - one around the horn, the other around the wings - and left it to rest on the ocean's shores.

It was only after the vision faded, and the dark void returned, that Luna was able to regain her wits enough to end her dream-world voyage. In an instant, the found herself collapsed on the floor of Twilight's room, gasping for breath while a panicked dragon shook her body.